Books And Roses
by Asctera
Summary: "But you know, Italy, this is Valentine's Day. It is the perfect time to confess to your love one, rather than offering flowers to your friends." Itacest, Valentine's Day one-shot.


_Pairing_ _: Itacest._

 _Summary_ _: "But you know, Italy, this is Valentine's Day. It is the perfect time to confess to your love one, rather than offering flowers to your friends." An Itacest one-shot for Valentine's Day. Because every day is a good pretext to write Itacest. This story is also crossed with Sheets And Roses that is a Frain fanfiction, in case you would be interested!_

 _Warning: incest, Romano's mouth. Fluff ensuing (yes, this is a warning)_

 _Disclaimer. Hetalia is not me._

 _(and happy Valentine's Day, guys!)_

* * *

"One for Germany, one for Japan, one for the beautiful girl next door."

Arms filled with dozens and dozens of flower, Veneziano wandered happily through the various streets of Rome. Today was Valentine's Day and, as every year for as long as he could recall, he would buy flowers from his favorite florist, to offer to absolutely everyone, friends, strangers, countries, humans. Passing near an old woman cleaning his doorstep, Feliciano stopped briefly, took a rose out of the bouquet and came offering her. An energetic " _Buon San Valentino_ " and he was back to skipping happily. Feliciano simply loved all the love and positivity emerging this special day of the year, like you could effectively see it fill the air. So he _knew_ it was a day dedicated to couples, but he would never say no to an occasion to join in celebrating love.

As he continued his distribution, a well-known blond head caught his attention among the crowd. Veneziano's smile brighten as he quickly traced toward it.

"Big brother France!" Said-France turned around when he heard his name being shout among the crowd only to smile brightly at the sight of the younger Italian. " _Buon San Valentino_!" And his smile grew only larger when three or four roses were shoved into his arms.

"Oh, my little Italy, aren't you so cute? How many nations are you planning on giving flowers to?"

"All of them! Except Russia maybe, he has this purple aura of him that scares me a little." he mumbled the last part, looking down at his feet thoughtfully. No matter how hard he tried, he still had to get over his fear of the Russian man.

France smiled kindly at the welcoming figure. "That's nice." he started and Veneziano's eyes were back to him the moment he opened his mouth. "But you know, Italy, this is _Valentine's Day_. It is the perfect time to confess to your love one, rather than offering flowers to your friends." Veneziano stared at him wonder in his eyes. "You must have one, haven't you?" he asked on a tone that barely sounded like a question. Not that the Northern Italian was so surprised, France was the country of love after all – as he liked to repeat over and over again – maybe he just _knew_ those things, maybe he had some kind of special powers.

"Ve." Veneziano looked down to the dozen flowers lying in his arms. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was the perfect day for that. Easily convinced he raised his head once more, a bright smile coming to illuminate his face. "You're right!" he shoved the rest of his flowers into France's arms. "I'll go right now!"

"But –" France started, but the Italian was already nowhere to be seen. "Don't you want your flowers back?" he whispered to himself. Now, what was he going to do with those flowers?

* * *

Back to the house he was sharing with his older brother, Veneziano bumped into the back of the sofa the brunet was sitting on, busy reading a book. He locked his arms on Romano's torso, picking at what he was reading. The Southern Italian appeared barely bothered not even frowning, but casually lowering his book to give his brother some space.

"Lovi! I have something to tell you!"

"Hm?" Romano asked absent-mindedly, flipping a page over.

"I love you!"

Silence and then the sound of a new flipping page. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I love you too." he said in a quiet mumble. "If you want to give me one of those roses you took out this morning, can you just lie it on the table?" he gestured lazily toward the nearby coffee table with one hand.

"Ve..." Veneziano's shoulders fall out of disappointment. Lovino rose his book again as Feliciano's hands came slightly covering the printed words.

The redhead's world-famous smile was replaced by a pout that was as sincere as it seemed fake. Of course he wouldn't get it. Veneziano literally spent his life saying how much he loved his brother and Romano never thought much of it. So, sure, he liked to say he "loved" absolutely everyone, Germany, Japan, Spain, France, everyone. It was not the same with Lovino and he wanted him to understand that. "I didn't mean it like that..." he mumbled.

He waited a moment, absent-mindedly reading a few sentences from Romano's book, waiting for his brother to acknowledge him. As it did not come he spoke up again: "Lovi..." He received only silence as an answer. "Please, look at me."

A grunt escaped the brunet's lips as he eventually closed his book. He kept one of his hands as a bookmark between the pages of the novel, probably hoping for the conversation to be quick. And he raised his head toward his brother so bent over that the older Italian wondered how he was still able to keep balance.

"I love _love_ you."

Romano remained silent for a moment longer, frowning in incomprehension or irritation, Veneziano wouldn't know. "I'm not joking, Feli."

By the time, Feliciano's pout had achieved to morph into a sad grin far from the usual bright smile Lovino was so used to seeing. "Why can't you ever take me seriously?" Veneziano whined. His grip on the other grew a little tighter. " _Ti amo, Lovi_. _Ti amo, davvero_." How many times should he repeat it for him to believe it? _I love you, I love you_. He would say it forever if he had to.

For a second, the older Italian's eyebrows rose in understanding. He stared at his brother some kind of hidden hope and tenderness in his eyes. And in the blink of an eye it was gone, his infamous frown back onto his face. A frown that seemed even harsher than his usual one. Or maybe it was just Veneziano starting to get dizzy from his position.

"I'm not buying it."

"Then I'll prove it to you." And Feliciano didn't hesitate a second as he leaned a little more forward, coming to place a tender kiss on his brother's lips. Romano close his eyes when he felt the other's skin against his own. For a moment, the Northern Italian swore he could have felt him melting into the kiss. And he didn't even let him the time to regain his senses that he was first to move away. " _Ti amo_." he repeated once more.

Once again, silence was the only answer meeting Veneziano's hears. And, for a moment, he started considering the fact that Lovino could actually _not_ reciprocate his feelings. He hadn't thought much about it before that exact moment, simply following the flow like he always did. He could feel the budding worries growing in his chest and slowly killing him. "Say something." he pleaded.

"I –" Romano wouldn't look away at any time, starring into his brother's brown eyes, confusion written all over his face. His mouth hung half-open for a while. "I don't know what to say."

"Tell me how you feel."

"I don't know." Lovino's gaze felt onto the floor and Feliciano sized the opportunity to move away from the back of the sofa and come sitting next to him. He kept his eyes locked on the other's face, staring expectantly. He didn't want to show any of how much he was actually starting to grow worried, keeping his mouth in a straight serious line, waiting for something, _anything_ , to come out of Romano's mouth. "Fuck, why is my heart beating so loudly in my chest?"

"Ve. Is it?" Veneziano's smile eventually found his way back onto his face. He grabbed his brother's hand and Romano's gaze snapped back to him the moment he felt the warm touch against his skin. "I'm happy. That's a good sign!"

Romano stared into his brother's eyes for a while, seemingly looking for a sign that would tell him he was joking. He found none. "So, you were really serious about all that."

"I told you I was!"

Romano visibly relaxed as an unusual smile formed at the corner of his mouth. A smile so shy and sincere on the Southern Italian's face, it was rare to witness and Veneziano realized that all too well. As if he was releasing all the first-hand stress he had been accumulating over the past few minutes.

"I know you did. I –" Lovino began, then stop to come biting his lips. "I love you too, Feli."

"You do?"

"Of course. I thought –" he stopped once more, his Adam's apple going up and down as he swallowed. "I thought you were messing with me or something."

Sadness came covering Feliciano's face. He gave Lovino's hand a reassuring squeeze. "Why would I do that?" The Northern Italian knew all to well about his brother's insecurity. It was mostly the reason why he had kept his feelings hidden for so long, in the first place. This and the whole taboo side, obviously. But for him to think he would be able to play such a sick joke on his own brother...

Lovino simply shook his head slowly. He got his hand away from the other's grip and the next moment he was grabbing Feliciano's cheeks taking him into a tender kiss. The redhead could almost have felt himself sighing in relief through the kiss. He realized only now how wrong could have things turned out if he had been left with one-sided feelings.

When they broke away, Veneziano was truly happy – though a little surprised – to see his own large bright smile reflecting on his brother's face.

"Well, don't you have flowers for me or some shit? Since it's _San Valentino_."

"I think France have them all."

A quiet laugh escaped Romano's lips. How Veneziano loved to hear him laugh. "Nevermind." he said, and the next moment they were kissing again. Feliciano shivered at the sensation of his brother's delicate caresses against his neck. Maybe France had been right after all. Maybe he was not the country of love for nothing.

" _Buon San Valentino_ , Feli."

" _Buon San Valentino_ , _fratello_!"

And as far as they were concerned, it was.


End file.
